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Sunday, June 8, 2014

Giants-White Sox World Tour -- June 8, 2014

During the 1913-1914 offseason, the National League Champion New York Giants, led by manager John McGraw, toured the world with members of the Chicago White Sox, led by manager Jimmy Callahan. The Giants roster included Christy Mathewson, Jim Thorpe and Turkey Mike Donlin.

As seen in the list above, they visited and played exhibition games in, among other places, Japan, Hong Kong, Manilla, Shanghai, Australia, Ceylon, Egypt, Naples and Rome.

In 1914, the Eclectic Film Company released a movie about the tour. "The BUG rides the brake beams and stows away to get to the game but he is at every one." A bug was a name for an enthusiastic fan. The BUG was played by director Frank McGlynn, Sr.

I don't know if this film still exists, but I found a British Pathé newsreel item showing King George V meeting the players and watching a game. The date range in the title, 1915-1919, must be off. I am very grateful that British Pathé has chosen to put a huge number of items out for people to see on YouTube.

Ten years later, in 1924, the Giants and the White Sox made an offseason tour of Europe. Here is a British Pathé newsreel item on their arrival at Liverpool and a game played before the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, parents of the current monarch. Note the similarities to the 1913 shots of the royal meeting the players and watching the game.